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fie07's review
3.0
I loved this parody of the sometimes very snobby and in some ways very superficial book industry. Sometimes we have a tendency to read far too much into things in order to try to sound intellectual. But often a story is just a story and not about the 17362 metaphors that critcs seem to read into novels. As much as I loved the concept of this book I still wasn't completley captivated by this book as I would have hoped so that's why it "only" gets three stars.
uncle_shai's review against another edition
3.0
Edward St. Aubyn has a great gift for writing and a truly wonderful ear for conversation. After writing the five-volume Patrick Melrose novels (do read them!) which are so emotionally intense, deep, and personal (can he find the will live after receiving such abuse as a child), I can understand why he would subsequently want to write fluff like Lost for Words.
It's mostly excellently written writers gossip. The plot is silly. There are short high points when some of the writers reflect on the meaning of writing in a philosophical way. St. Aubyn is mocking this navel gazing even while being half serious putting out his witty verbosity in a way only someone deeply steeped in literary criticism and philosophy could do.
Really should be two stars. But I gave it three on St. Aubyn wonderful prose.
It's mostly excellently written writers gossip. The plot is silly. There are short high points when some of the writers reflect on the meaning of writing in a philosophical way. St. Aubyn is mocking this navel gazing even while being half serious putting out his witty verbosity in a way only someone deeply steeped in literary criticism and philosophy could do.
Really should be two stars. But I gave it three on St. Aubyn wonderful prose.
jennyreadsalot's review against another edition
1.0
Hard pass thank you.
This was written to obviously throw shade at high end literary prizes, a little research on my part told me it was about everything that went down around the 2011 Booker which I do vaguely remember being a controversial year. Here's the problem, anyone who pays any attention to these kind of prizes already knows that it is more about the politicking and backscratching than about which book is actually best (part of why I stopped paying attention to them several years back).
The whole thing ends up being not so much cheeky and fun instead more bitter and sour grapes, the author of this book very clearly pissed that his work has not been selected for recognition and is lashing out at those he think has wronged him. Is he accurate in this satire of literary prizes, sure it's not far off. But the whole thing is so clearly tinged with the flavour of "it should have been me" that it left a really bad taste in my mouth. To be clear I did my research on what happened around the prize after I read the book so I came to these conclusions without that context, it was nice to have suspicions confirmed though.
Hard pass and I would not recommend
This was written to obviously throw shade at high end literary prizes, a little research on my part told me it was about everything that went down around the 2011 Booker which I do vaguely remember being a controversial year. Here's the problem, anyone who pays any attention to these kind of prizes already knows that it is more about the politicking and backscratching than about which book is actually best (part of why I stopped paying attention to them several years back).
The whole thing ends up being not so much cheeky and fun instead more bitter and sour grapes, the author of this book very clearly pissed that his work has not been selected for recognition and is lashing out at those he think has wronged him. Is he accurate in this satire of literary prizes, sure it's not far off. But the whole thing is so clearly tinged with the flavour of "it should have been me" that it left a really bad taste in my mouth. To be clear I did my research on what happened around the prize after I read the book so I came to these conclusions without that context, it was nice to have suspicions confirmed though.
Hard pass and I would not recommend
laurenbdavis's review against another edition
5.0
A send up of literary awards -- one particular British award (Booker). I laughed out loud.
Edward St. Aubyn is best known for his brilliant and scathing "Patrick Melrose" novels, which, if you haven't read, I urge you to immediately. It is pertinent to mention here that it was short-listed for the Booker.
This book deservedly won the 2014 Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction. Here's what the back of the book says,
Edward St. Aubyn’s Patrick Melrose novels were some of the most celebrated works of fiction of the past decade. Ecstatic praise came from a wide range of admirers, from literary superstars such as Zadie Smith, Francine Prose, Jeffrey Eugenides, and Michael Chabon to pop-culture icons such as Anthony Bourdain and January Jones. Now St. Aubyn returns with a hilariously smart send-up of a certain major British literary award.
The judges on the panel of the Elysian Prize for Literature must get through hundreds of submissions to find the best book of the year. Meanwhile, a host of writers are desperate for Elysian attention: the brilliant writer and serial heartbreaker Katherine Burns; the lovelorn debut novelist Sam Black; and Bunjee, convinced that his magnum opus, The Mulberry Elephant, will take the literary world by storm. Things go terribly wrong when Katherine’s publisher accidentally submits a cookery book in place of her novel; one of the judges finds himself in the middle of a scandal; and Bunjee, aghast to learn his book isn’t on the short list, seeks revenge.
Lost for Words is a witty, fabulously entertaining satire that cuts to the quick of some of the deepest questions about the place of art in our celebrity-obsessed culture, and asks how we can ever hope to recognize real talent when everyone has an agenda.
One of the characters, Didier, a french intellectual, has such pitch-perfect dialogue I had to stop laughing long enough to read it out loud to my husband. After having lived in France for a decade, we felt we knew this person.
It's all wonderful. A quick read, and a wonderful one. You can read a very good review of it by Johnathan Yardley in the Washington Post. Recommended. Enjoy.
Edward St. Aubyn is best known for his brilliant and scathing "Patrick Melrose" novels, which, if you haven't read, I urge you to immediately. It is pertinent to mention here that it was short-listed for the Booker.
This book deservedly won the 2014 Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction. Here's what the back of the book says,
Edward St. Aubyn’s Patrick Melrose novels were some of the most celebrated works of fiction of the past decade. Ecstatic praise came from a wide range of admirers, from literary superstars such as Zadie Smith, Francine Prose, Jeffrey Eugenides, and Michael Chabon to pop-culture icons such as Anthony Bourdain and January Jones. Now St. Aubyn returns with a hilariously smart send-up of a certain major British literary award.
The judges on the panel of the Elysian Prize for Literature must get through hundreds of submissions to find the best book of the year. Meanwhile, a host of writers are desperate for Elysian attention: the brilliant writer and serial heartbreaker Katherine Burns; the lovelorn debut novelist Sam Black; and Bunjee, convinced that his magnum opus, The Mulberry Elephant, will take the literary world by storm. Things go terribly wrong when Katherine’s publisher accidentally submits a cookery book in place of her novel; one of the judges finds himself in the middle of a scandal; and Bunjee, aghast to learn his book isn’t on the short list, seeks revenge.
Lost for Words is a witty, fabulously entertaining satire that cuts to the quick of some of the deepest questions about the place of art in our celebrity-obsessed culture, and asks how we can ever hope to recognize real talent when everyone has an agenda.
One of the characters, Didier, a french intellectual, has such pitch-perfect dialogue I had to stop laughing long enough to read it out loud to my husband. After having lived in France for a decade, we felt we knew this person.
It's all wonderful. A quick read, and a wonderful one. You can read a very good review of it by Johnathan Yardley in the Washington Post. Recommended. Enjoy.
drapernat's review against another edition
4.0
Cheeky send up of a committee deciding for a prestigious literary prize. Quite fun.
krismcd59's review against another edition
3.0
Terribly British skewering of the publishing industry and the whole concept of book awards. St. Aubyn has fun mocking just about every type of popular fiction, and the philistine attitudes of those who make a living off of authors and popular culture. It's a very slight volume -- all the characters are really just sketches -- and the satire is perhaps a little too spot-on to actually be funny, but authors and readers will find this an astringent palate-cleaner before attacking their teetering piles of to-be-read summer novels.
annebelleo's review against another edition
2.0
Yeah... I guess if you’re in the writing field (or any artistic career where one emboldens themselves to be better than everyone) it’s fun to read. The writing style especially gives this away. It just wasn’t for me.
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In a lovely case of bookish serendipity I came across the book Lost for Words, just in time for a busy week or two in the bookish awards world . The Wainwright winner, Women’s Prize winner, Booker shortlist and Baillie Gifford longlist are all due to be announced in the next ten days.
Lost for Words takes us behind the scenes of the (sadly fictional) Elysian Prize for Literature. The reader is privy to the private lives and thoughts of the judges and several authors whose works are eligible for this prestigious award. It’s wonderfully satirical, perfect for those of us who’d love to be a fly on the wall during the judges’ deliberations and/or harbour suspicions about why our favourite book didn’t win. Publishers forgetting to submit books in time, judges horse-trading titles, shifting personal and political allegiances among the judging committee, authors drafting acceptance speeches before even the longlist is announced, and so much else is laid out in juicy detail. Plenty of fun is poked at pseudo-intellectual, self-important literary types as well. There is lots of fun to be had trying to predict which book (extracts are incorporated in the text) the judges will select as the winner. Delightfully witty and irreverent. Perfect for both my current mood and for this point in the literary calendar.
Lost for Words takes us behind the scenes of the (sadly fictional) Elysian Prize for Literature. The reader is privy to the private lives and thoughts of the judges and several authors whose works are eligible for this prestigious award. It’s wonderfully satirical, perfect for those of us who’d love to be a fly on the wall during the judges’ deliberations and/or harbour suspicions about why our favourite book didn’t win. Publishers forgetting to submit books in time, judges horse-trading titles, shifting personal and political allegiances among the judging committee, authors drafting acceptance speeches before even the longlist is announced, and so much else is laid out in juicy detail. Plenty of fun is poked at pseudo-intellectual, self-important literary types as well. There is lots of fun to be had trying to predict which book (extracts are incorporated in the text) the judges will select as the winner. Delightfully witty and irreverent. Perfect for both my current mood and for this point in the literary calendar.
baileyloveless's review against another edition
3.0
This novel is a satire focused on a prestigious literary competition in the UK and the authors lobbying for the award. My word for it is meh. Good enough to finish, not good enough for me to say much about it. It doesn’t exactly scream satire either. The humor is a bit flat in my opinion.
acommonreader's review against another edition
5.0
While making my way slowly through the longish "Barkskin", I thought this weekend I'd take a break and indulged myself in "Lost For Words", a caricature of London's publishig scene by Edward St. Aubyn. It's a comedy set around a fictional literature award not unlike some well coveted prizes in world. The plot is engaging and keeps me on my toes until the very end. The author's sarcasm pokes fun at all issues and characters that came his way, yet done gently and humourously without leaving a bad taste. There's certainly no short supply of the author's complacent showing-off of his own knowledge of the literature world, yet I found it not so annoying as it sounds. Perhaps because Mr. St. Aubyn has so deftly removed himself from the book, and put the words into the mouth of the comic relief in the form of (who else) a French writer.
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Highly recommended and as far as entertainment value is concerned, it's ★★★★★ out of 5.
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Highly recommended and as far as entertainment value is concerned, it's ★★★★★ out of 5.